Technologies

Amazon and Best Buy Knock Up to 50% Off Already Affordable Motorola Phones

Motorola makes some of our favorite budget-friendly phones in 2023, and right now you can snag one for as much as $500 off the usual price.

While Apple, Google and Samsung may make some of the most popular phones on the market right now, they’re not the only brands with something to offer. Earning a spot on our list of the best phones under $500, Motorola has some excellent budget-friendly alternatives, and right now, you can get your hands on one of these affordable devices for even less. Amazon, Best Buy and Motorola are offering discounts on a variety of current and previous-gen models, with some discounted by as much as 50%. There’s no set expiration for these deals, so we’d recommend getting your order in sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.

See at Amazon

See at Best Buy

There are quite a few different discounted Motorola phones to choose from right now. One of the most affordable options is the new 2023 Moto G Stylus, which you can pick up for just $180, $20 off the list price. It has 64GB of storage, a 50MP camera and a built-in stylus, but no 5G support. If you want 5G support on a budget, then you can upgrade to the 2022 Moto G Power, which features 6GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and a 6.5-inch HD display. It’s on sale for $200 at Amazon, which is half off the usual price. There’s also the 2023 Moto G Power, which features a more powerful processor and slightly upgraded display, and is currently $20 off, dropping the price down to $280.

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Or if you’re looking for a more advanced model, you can pick up to 2022 Motorola Edge for $350, which saves you $250 compared with the list price. It features 5G support, as well as a 6.6-inch full HD display with a smooth 144Hz refresh rate, a 50MP rear camera system, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of built-in storage. Or you can upgrade to the 2022 Motorola Edge Plus, which is currently 50% off at Best Buy, dropping the price to $500. It has double the storage, as well as a larger 6.7-inch OLED display and a more advanced first-gen Snapdragon 8 processor.

And Motorola is offering $250 off the Edge Fusion 30, which drops the starting price to $450. It’s a 2022 model that’s equipped with a powerful Snapdragon 888 processor, as well as 5G and Wi-Fi 6/6E support for lightning fas performance. It features a 6.5-inch edge-to-edge display and comes with 256GB of built-in storage. You can also bundle it with a pair of noise-canceling Motorola earbuds for an extra $100.

And be sure to check out our full roundup of all the best phone deals for even more bargains.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

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Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

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One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.